Knoxville, TN Garage & Yard Sales: Frequency, Duration & Permits (2026)

Section 16-256 of the Knoxville Code of Ordinances requires that "no garage sale shall be conducted unless and until the individuals desiring to conduct such sale shall obtain a permit therefor from the city," and lets residents of more than one household join in a single permit for a sale at one of their homes; permits are also available for nonresidential locations. Section 16-257 requires a written statement filed with the director of finance at least five days before the sale (seven days if mailed), listing the applicant's name and address, the sale location and dates, an affirmation the goods are the applicant's own personal property rather than resale merchandise, and a promise to comply with the article. Section 16-258 sets a ten dollar ($10.00) administrative processing fee.

Section 16-259 caps the number of permits: no more than three per residential location, residence or family household in a calendar year, and no more than six for a nonresidential location. Section 16-261 allows a fourth residential sale in a year only on proof of a bona fide change in property ownership, and Section 16-260 lets the director of finance reissue a permit at no added fee if a sale is rained out and canceled on its first day, provided it is rescheduled within thirty days at the same location. Section 16-232 limits each sale's hours to 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. across no more than three consecutive days or two consecutive weekends, and Section 16-234 caps on-site signage at two signs of four square feet plus two off-site directional signs of two square feet, which must come down each day at the sale's close and cannot go up more than two days before the sale begins.